Big Brother
by Nightcrawler's Shadow
Summary: Tony was always there, underneath the joker and the prankster, there was a heart of gold.
1. Abby

A/N: I hate being wrong, turns out 'Baltimore' isn't going to air until the 3rd! –kicks chair-. But, as a promise, I am posting something, cause NCIS deserves an update no matter what.

So, without further ado, I give you fluff spectacular part 1! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Abby

Breathing in through her nose, the acrid scent of perfume, hairspray and cleaner met Abby's senses. Groaning softly at the pounding in her head, her ice-green eyes fluttered open to see the familiar ceiling of the bathroom of 'Chains', her favourite Gothic bar.

Slowly sitting up, Abby could hear the pounding beat of the music from beyond the bathroom door. Her tongue felt thick and fuzzy, her senses were hyper aware and she felt incredibly stupid.

_Gibbs is gonna kill me._ She thought as she unsteadily lifted herself to her feet. Fumbling in her purse

Abby struggled to ignore the churning in her stomach before she found her cell.

"Please be awake." She whispered to herself before hitting speed dial 2.

The phone rang and rang before going to voicemail and she ended the call, then dialled his desk number instead. This time it only rang once before being answered.

"_Very_ Special Agent DiNozzo."

She broke into a relieved grin, "Hey Tony."

"Abs?" he sounded worried, "You okay?"

She shook her head before remembering he couldn't see her, "Can you come pick me up?"

"Of course!" she could head him gathering his things from his desk "Are you hurt? Where are you? What happened?" he rattled off without waiting for her to answer.

"No, Chains and I'll explain when you get here." She rubbed her forehead with her free hand, desperately wishing for a shower and pain killers.

"Are you drunk?"

She paused, her teeth worrying away at her bottom lip, "A bit."

Abby heard him sigh, "You safe for now?"

"I'm in the bathroom." Read: I passed out and I don't _remember_ passing out in the bathroom but apparently I did. So yeah, I'm safe for now.

"Stay there, I'll call when I'm outside."

She opened her mouth to reply but the dial tone cut her off.

_That was downright Gibbs-like._ Although she doubted she'd be getting any CaffPows anytime soon.

oOo

Abby waited for 10 minutes before her phone buzzed, the subsequent text reading: _Outside_.

Standing steadier than before, the forensic scientist made her way out of the club to see Tony's mustang idling by the curb, said Italian sitting behind the wheel, tapping anxiously on the steering wheel.

She tried to smile as she climbed into the passenger seat, but was treated instead to a hard glare. As Tony pulled away from the curb, he finally broke the tense silence.

"Explain, Abby." She could feel his disappointment rolling off him in waves and she flushed in shame.

"Bad break-up, I was trying to...well..."

"Forget?" there was an odd, almost _knowing_ tone to his voice as he focused on the road ahead.

"Yeah...I was stupid, the whole idea was dumb. I'm sorry, Tony."

He sighed once, not speaking and Abby fidgeted in her seat. All of a sudden, Tony hit the steering wheel and Abby jumped before Tony sent her an apologetic look and just like that he was 'Tony' again, not the 'Gibbs Junior' he sometimes became.

"Okay, here's the deal: You have to swear that something like this will never happen again." She nodded fast before stopping, her head throbbing anew.

"Second, you _ever_ find yourself this sad again: you come to _my _place. That way I can make sure you don't get alcohol poisoning and have a safe place to pass-out if you need to." She had to smile before he continued. "And, you're going to tell me who the jackass is so I can abuse my power as a federal agent to hurt him." He sent her a warm smile and she giggled softly before yawning. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was.

"Go to sleep, Abs." She heard, but it was far away. She was already drifting off, her head on the cool glass of the window.

When she woke the next morning she would be wrapped in the warm sheets of Tony's big, comfy bed. His familiar scent invading her senses and she would be dressed in an old Ohio state t-shirt. Tony himself would be sprawled out on the bed next to her and she would smile because she knew Tony hadn't left her alone during the night. His huge bed might not be her cozy little coffin, but the soft snores of her big brother would be enough to lull her back into a blissful sleep.

oOo

Hope to hear from you soon! Your friendly neighbourhood Goth.


	2. McGee

Chapter 2: McGee

His shoulder hurt.

No, that was a lie, it was killing him. The gunshot had been a through and through, but that didn't make it hurt less.

As he lay in his bed, staring at the pattern the window panes made on the ceiling as the street light shone through the night, he listened hard and heard the sound he'd been expecting: Snoring.

Admittedly, it wasn't as loud as he would have expected, but it was still there. The soft snore that held a light tremble that came from heavily scarred lungs. A dark part of Tim's mind worried that the senior agent would die in his sleep one night because he couldn't breathe.

Tim sighed and rolled onto his uninjured side, knowing without a doubt that even the softest gasp of pain would probably send Tony into his room, worried for his junior agent's safety. Grinning to himself, he thought back over the events of the day that ended with Anthony DiNozzo on his couch.

oOo

_Why do they always run?_ Tim skirted around the corner into yet another alley, gun at his side as he chased after their suspect. Tim wasn't made for chases, but Tony was, the Italian had branched off, hoping to cut the suspect, Petty Officer Jack Tyson, off.

McGee could see Tyson ahead of him and hoped Tony would make it to him before the guy got to the street, they still didn't know whether he was packing heat or not, but they couldn't risk it.

His legs were aching and he grabbed his gun, levelling it at Tyson.

"NCIS, freeze!"

What McGee wasn't expecting was for Tyson to swivel around and shoot at him before he could even register the gun in the man's hand.

There was a blazing pain in his shoulder and he fell back, the subsequent impact with the ground stealing his remaining breath. He was seeing spots but years of having Tony throw things at him kept him alert enough to see Tyson stalking closer, gun aimed directly to his head. He tried to figure out where his gun had fallen, but his movements were erratic and spastic, causing him to only knock the gun further from his reach.

Then, out of nowhere, someone tackled Tyson to the ground. Tim heard a grunt of pain come from his would be killer and relaxed slightly; only one person he knew would _tackle_ someone with a gun.

And that someone was suddenly hovering over him, eyes filled with uncharacteristic worry.

"Come on Tim, stay with me."

"T'ny?" he slurred, shocked by the senior agent's use of his first name.

Just then he was the victim of a Tony-ised Gibbs glare.

"If I didn't need both hands to keep you from bleeding out, Probie, I'd head slap you."

Tim smiled dazedly and his eyes started to close.

"Probie! You stay awake! Do you hear me? You. Stay. _Awake_."

Tim nodded, "I gotcha T'ny."

He could see DiNozzo's strained grin even as his vision became fuzzier by the second.

"Good job, Timmy."

"Did we get'm?" McGee asked after a few moments of silence.

While Tim didn't see it, Tony glanced over at the unconscious Petty Officer he'd handcuffed to a fire escape.

"Yeah...we got him."

Tim didn't really remember the following hours, the next clearest memory waking up in the hospital, an IV in his arm, thick bandages over his shoulder and Tony reclined in a decidedly uncomfortable appearing position in the chair by his bed.

What scared him was that it didn't look like Tony had even gone home. His shirt and general attire was mussed and he could see the blood that speckled the rolled up sleeves of his green shirt, his jacket thrown over the arm of the chair.

Groaning as he sat up his slipped closed again as he pushed himself up with one arm. When he opened his eyes, Tony was watching him with a bloodshot gaze.

"Hey Tony." He got out hoarsely.

The senior agent wasted no time in lifting a glass of water to Tim's chapped lips and McGee sipped slowly, savouring the coolness of the ice water as it slipped down his throat.

"How long was I out?" he settled back into the pillows of his hospital bed. Tony still didn't reply.

"Tony?"

The Italian's eyes hardened and McGee only half anticipated the Gibbs slap to the back of his head, although it was marginally softer than normal, barely a graze.

"Never. Do that. Again."

Tim blinked, "Uh, do what? Get shot? Kinda comes with the job, DiNozzo, you know that."

He _fully_ expected the second head slap, this one a bit harder than the first.

"Scare me!"

McGee wondered for a moment what kind of meds he was on, because Tony never admitted any kind of weakness unless it was one of those tiny injuries that he nursed for attention.

Tony frowned at his silence and sat back, his arms crossed. Tim suddenly decided that Tony must have given his high school teachers' massive headaches with that stance.

"Yeah, McDeaf, you heard me, I was worried." He leaned forward, voice dead serious, "Never make me say it again."

oOo

Tim was indignant at being treated like an invalid when Tony drove him home and made himself a fixture on the couch. Although, it was a relief to not have to walk and feed Jethro with only one good arm. DiNozzo was surprisingly good with the canine.

Tony's snores continued in the next room and McGee couldn't stop his smile. Tony pushed his buttons more than anyone, but he always knew there was no malice behind his words. Tony was the older brother he'd never had.

And something told Tim that Tony knew that.

oOo

A/N: Yay, Timmy/Tony brotherly goodness!

Let me know your thoughts (and by thoughts, I don't mean a play-by-play of this week's episode! I watch the show, I know what happened)

Yet another bitchy semi rant and I apologise, but it gets really annoying when people review only to repeat everything you already know.

I love you all (well most of you anyways)


	3. Kate

Chapter 3: Kate

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS (this includes Kate and Ducky)

oOo

"So, tell me about Anthony. Why is it that you're filing a complaint against him, Usually, there against Gibbs, not Anthony."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm just a little different than the others. Gibbs is fine, but Tony is...ugh, Tony is annoying, pig-headed, _cocky_, he never takes things seriously and he's _way_ too comfortable around me."

"Most people would take that as a compliment."

"Ha! My own brothers aren't that comfortable around me, Tony...well, I'll let you use your imagination. He should just be glad this isn't a sexual harassment law suit."

"Explain something to me, Caitlyn, why is Anthony so annoying to you?"

"I just said-"

"I know...I want you to explain it more. Give me a few examples."

_Snort_ "Examples, God I could give you five just from this morning! But I'll give you the number one for this week: he's sexist."

"Sexist."

"Yes! He _never_ lets me talk to the witnesses if they're male or bigger than me. He always has to do the so called, 'male work', he never lets me stand up for myself unless I'm fighting with _him_! He's _always_ half a step behind me when we're out in the field; I swear he never lets me out of my sight! He doesn't trust me to do a good job because I'm a woman!"

"He respects Abigail, doesn't he?"

"Well...yeah I guess, but that's different."

"How so?"

"Abby doesn't go out in the field with him, of course he treats her differently!"

"How do you think he would treat her if she _did_ come out to the field?"

"I don't know...he would probably be over protective and never leave her alone or out of his...oh..._um_, I feel..."

"Stupid?"

"...Yeah...You know, you could have just _told_ me Tony's overprotective."

"Would you have believed me?"

"...Probably not."

"Exactly, my dear. Anthony has an instinctual urge to protect those he cares about. He is overprotective of not those he thinks are weaker than him, but those he cares so much about, he doesn't want the slightest hint of doubt that they could be harmed. He stays close to you, because he wants nothing to happen to you."

"So...the whole callous jerk thing is an act?"

"Yes my dear, it is, but tell Anthony that and he will only put up a better mask, one that you may have to claw at to get off. It has taken years for him to get this open."

"And even know, he doesn't feel comfortable enough to be everything he could."

"Exactly."

"I guess I can put up with him...I mean, he does have some good qualities."

"And you will uncover more of them if you stick with it Caitlyn."

"Thanks Ducky...hey Duck?"

"Yes?"

"What is Tony then? If he isn't a pig-headed frat boy, and he isn't a sexist jerk, what is his title?"

"My dear, I believe you know the answer to that one."

"...And here I was thinking I only had three brothers."

oOo


	4. Gibbs

Chapter 4: Gibbs

Disclaimer: "You own NCIS?" "No." "But." "No." "Your honor." "F*ck no! You damn lawyer, I don't care what your Harvard law degree says, I don't own NCIS!"

His youngest daughter's name had been Kelly. Born to him years before he'd even thought about becoming an NCIS Agent, years before he'd met young men named Tony or Tim, or young women named Abby, Ziva or Kate. Kelly had been his little girl, his angel, with the eyes, smile and hair of her mother, with her father's strength and courage.

He'd lost his little girl, and his wife, and he'd never ever lose the whole in his heart that came from that loss. But there's a funny thing about love, you can always make room for more. Just because you lose a person, doesn't mean that their place in your heart get's smaller or disappears. The heart is a curious thing, because no matter what, it can always make more room without even slightly taking over the space for previous loves.

It took a young woman named Abby Scuito to get Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the track of that particular lesson. She had been everything he'd ever hoped Kelly would turn out to be: smart, sweet, strong, loving. He felt for this lovely young scientist who no one would take seriously.

He showed her that he cared on her second day, with a Caff-Pow, and from then on she was the older sister to his long past baby girl.

Then there had been Kate Todd. Smart, strong, brilliant and unwilling to go down without a fight. Sure, they hadn't started out on the best foot, but they got through it. And it hurt just as bad as when he lost Kelly, when Kate earned her own blood halo.

Timothy McGee. The young computer tech from Norfolk that had quaked in his shoes just from a glance. Tim had grown though into both a competent agent, and a surrogate son. He had a ways to go yet, seeing as his new found attitude could use some checking from time to time, but did that mean that Gibbs loved him any less? No. You love your children, for their faults and their high points.

Ziva David. She had crept her way into his heart without him really knowing, and apparently he had crept into hers without his own knowledge as well. Ziver, more like the step-daughter or foster child, but no less loved than the others. She had his back, and the rest of the team's back in every situation.

And finally, there was Tony DiNozzo. Quirky, sarcastic, brilliant, funny and dangerous. Dangerous because while Gibbs had grown on the idea of letting people into his heart by the time he met Tony, he didn't really know what to do with the street-smart Baltimore cop. Even after a firm punch to the jaw, DiNozzo kept on going, pulling out a gun, cuffing him, the kid had skills and Gibbs had to admire it, even grudgingly.

Tony was a character, even years after being at NCIS. He fit like the perfect puzzle piece in Gibbs' heart. He knew from looking at the younger man that there was more there than a cocky grin and frat boy personality. There was a wall there. A wall to keep people out, and it was easily recognizable by Gibbs because he too, had put up a similar block around his heart.

Tony, Gibbs realized, was a mirror image of his younger self. It took Ducky mentioning it in passing to finally see it, but after that it was never far from his mind. The day he heard his Agent yelling at an agent his senior outside the forensics lab, Gibbs had hung back, hiding around the corner and listening to this kid from Baltimore tear the senior agent a new one for, evidently, groping and or insulting Abby Scuito.

It wasn't Gibbs' style, of course, he would have sent the out of line agent a glare of death and been done with it, but Tony was hot-headed and more loyal than a St. Bernard, and he wasn't content with just letting someone get away with a glare to a firm talking to. No, Tony had to go all the way and start berating the agent like _he_ was the SFA.

Gibbs didn't bother hiding his smile when Tony held his own against the other agent's threats, fighting back with his own threats of a sexual harassment suit via the Goth who Gibbs now noticed, was standing in the door to her lab, tugging on one pigtail endlessly.

Once the senior agent gave up-well, Tony practically threw him into the elevator, using his superior height and strength to his advantage- Abby had leapt into Tony's arms, crying and clutching at the Italian's jacket in a death grip.

Tony froze and Gibbs waited to see what the ex-detective would do. When Tony carefully wrapped his arms around Abby he grinned, when Tony tightened his hold on the young woman and began whispering soft words into her ear, his smile was the widest it had been since he'd last held Kelly and Shannon.

Tony, Gibbs finally saw, was what he and Shannon had wanted for Kelly: a big brother. A protector. Someone who could care and love her should something happen to them. Gibbs knew without knowing that Shannon would have loved the young man his heart had already dubbed as his son. Kelly would have been all over him, begging to watch movies and play hide-and-seek, and without a doubt, Tony would have obliged. He would tickled Kelly mercilessly, tucked her into bed, read her stories when she was sick, everything an older brother was supposed to do.

Tony was an only child by blood, by heart he had a huge family and multiple younger siblings to care for. And he did, he protected them when his own health was at risk. He defended them even when he knew they could take care of themselves. He led them on through the dark when dad was too lost to do so.

Gibbs saw Tony's strength, and he loved him for it. His heart had always had an empty space open, waiting for Anthony DiNozzo. It sat right next to Kelly, next to Abby and Tim and soothed the aching part left by Kate.

He had lost his youngest daughter, but the world had granted him a son.

oOo

A/N: **Last chapter of this story.**


End file.
